FFA Statement in relation to the decision of the FIFA Members Associations Committee decision

Football Federation Australia (FFA) today acknowledged the decision of the FIFA Member Associations Committee to accept the recommendations of the Congress Review Working Group (CRWG).

Despite deep concerns about the CRWG’s certain key recommendations, the FFA Board will work with the Members of FFA to call an extraordinary general meeting for September.

“The fact remains that under the proposed CRWG model, the independence of the Board will be compromised.

Acting as a bloc, as they have done throughout the consultation process, the professional game and only two of the States could control the Congress and therefore the election of directors to the FFA board,” FFA Chairman, Mr Steven Lowy AM said.

“The governance model advocated by the CRWG leads to the trading of political favours between a few individuals, who would then control the many. The FFA Board remains concerned that our game will not be best served if the commercial game overly influences who sits on the FFA board.

“The national interest of our game is at stake here – the funding of our national teams and our grassroots development programs – and this should be the most important consideration. We cannot allow our game to be controlled by private and largely foreign interests as their interests do not align with those of our national teams and development programs.

“Last week I called on all parties to come together to properly analyse the real issues at stake here. It is vital that all parties agree on a way forward, for the good of the whole of our game and as it stands today, we do not have sufficient consensus.

“FFA has championed efforts to expand the Congress and expand the A-League under a new operating model. The CRWG’s recommendations on these issues are not the only way forward – there are of course other options that will address stakeholder concern and satisfy FIFA’s requirements, including Article 15 of the FIFA Statutes. What is required now is a conciliatory approach to reach the right outcomes to continue to push this great game forward,” he said.